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Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has to be pondering and investigating what avenues he will pursue this summer in a number of different areas to find a pathway to improving his club’s chances of playoff success.
In spite of a record-breaking regular season, the Leafs had another early postseason exit. Toronto will likely explore the trade market and/or free agency to find upgrades, but that will depend on what they do with the players currently on their roster.
We look today at what the Leafs may do on the left side:
The entire offseason approach may rely on whether Dubas believes he can re-sign pending UFA Ilya Mikheyev. According to Pierre Lebrun of the Athletic , agent Dan Milstein plans on talking to Leafs management within a couple of weeks. Milstein says the 27-year-old winger has been treated by Toronto very well over the last three seasons and that they are open to potentially re-signing, but Mikheyev is likely looking for a multi-year deal in excess of $3.5 million a year (similar to the deal that Montreal signed winger Joel Armia to last summer).
The only way that a Mikheyev extension makes sense is by clearing the final year of Alex Kerfoot’s deal ($3.5 million AAV), but the versatile forward is quite valuable to the Leafs and it is unlikely they want to do that.
If Toronto chooses to be proactive, they may want to consider contract talks with Bunting coming off a 63-point season, and Engvall, who is an arbitration-eligible RFA. The 26-year-old Bunting came to Toronto to play close to home and became a fan favorite, both of which could be factors in getting him to sign a team-friendly deal. Engvall’s role became larger as the season progressed and he began to use his size and speed more later in the year. If Mikheyev departs, it puts more of an emphasis on getting Engvall extended and for multiple years, not just a one-year deal.
Next season would appear to be the one that the Leafs need Nick Robertson to step into the NHL. The former OHL scoring champ has battled durability issues the last two seasons, but the 20-year-old has high-end scoring ability that could find him playing in the top six alongside Auston Matthews or John Tavares.
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